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PACE Looking Forward To Ukraine's Chairmanship Of Council Of Europe's Committee Of Ministers

KIEV, Ukraine -- The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is looking forward to Ukraine's chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of this organization, PACE Monitoring Committee Rapporteur on Ukraine Marietta de Pourbaix-Lundin has said.

Marietta de Pourbaix-Lundin (L) and Viktor Yanukovych.

"As for Ukraine's chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, we are all looking forward to this day. We know that you, Mr. President, have made many initiatives to help Ukraine fulfill the commitments it had taken," she said at a meeting with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in Kyiv on Wednesday.

In turn, Yanukovych noted that he considers his country's chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe as an opportunity for a serious profound interaction with the Council of Europe agencies in all areas.

According to the Ukrainian president, such interaction is especially important for Ukraine in view of the ongoing systemic reforms in the country, first of all in the judicial system and in electoral legislation.

Yanukovych said that he ordered an inventory of all of the commitments of Ukraine to the Council of Europe that have not been implemented, "mainly because of political squabbles in the various branches of power."

The president recalled that in January 2011 he approved a list of bills that Ukraine has to pass to meet its commitments to the Council of Europe.

"The areas that PACE views as priority for Ukraine are also a priority on my political agenda," the president said.

He said that these are the constitutional reform, electoral legislation and the fight against corruption.

Ukraine will chair the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe from May 11 until November 7, 2011.